When You Leave

The scene fell silent.

Captain America was not someone who hesitated.

At any moment, he would make what he believed to be the right judgment at the first opportunity and carry it out without wavering.

He could be confused, but never lost; saddened, but never defeated; in pain, but never brought down.

His decisions were not always right, but he would never regret them.

That was a young person’s strength… Ultimately, he was only a young man in his twenties psychologically. His way of thinking was different from old-timers like Egghead and Tony.

He was good at bringing people together, and he possessed a personal charm no one could ignore, yet he was lonely inside.

Humans were social creatures, but Captain America seemed to care more about individuals than the collective.

That was the kind of heroism only young people became obsessed with.

Tony’s roots were in Stark Industries, Fury’s roots were in S.H.I.E.L.D., and even Old Wang himself had roots—in the orphanage in Chinatown, on the Wandering Isle in World of Warcraft, and in the rural villages of Pengcheng Countryside.

Captain America had no roots.

His home had long since become a museum. His family and friends had all died, and his girlfriend had become someone else’s old mother, now frail with age.

He did not belong to this world. He did not belong to this era.

That was why, no matter when it was, he could always make the least influenced, most correct judgment. That was why, at times, he could be more decisive, calmer, and more ruthless than anyone else.

If there was still anything in this world that bound him, anything that could be called a weakness, it was Bucky.

If that wasn’t love…

Captain America sighed.

With Master Wang, Bucky would be safe.

There were only two people in this world worth worrying about: Bucky and Carter.

Compared to Bucky, Carter, lying in her hospital bed, clearly needed him more.

Besides, we still have a date…

If only I could go back to the past…

Thinking that, Captain America turned to Old Wang. "I’m sorry, Master Wang."

"It’s fine."

Though there was some regret, Old Wang had been mentally prepared for it. Besides, this choice was not necessarily a bad thing for him.

He did not agree with Captain America’s way of doing things, and Captain America likewise disliked his methods. A forcibly twisted melon was never sweet, and a girl forced down would not lick. The Winter Soldier suited his tastes better.

S.H.I.E.L.D. protected the world, so what it needed was a shield. His own style, on the other hand, was somewhat like Hydra’s. What he wanted was a spear.

The Winter Soldier was an icy spear that could pierce through anything.

Old Wang smiled, his face entirely sincere. "If you ever fall out with S.H.I.E.L.D., my door will always be open. I’ll welcome you with open arms."

Fall out… Master Wang, shouldn’t you be wishing us a long and lasting partnership? Did you have to put it so bluntly?

Captain America nodded. "I will."

With matters settled, there was naturally no reason for Old Wang to stay.

"Director Fury, remember this. You owe me another favor."

He drew a circle in the air, opened a portal, and stepped through with Skye.

"Steve… we’ll meet again." The Winter Soldier, whose emotions were complicated, did not linger either. He smiled at Captain America, turned, and left without taking a single cloud with him.

The orange portal vanished. Captain America felt as though he had lost something that could never be recovered.

"Bucky…" he murmured, thinking, You understand my choice, don’t you?

Egghead had no idea how those people had negotiated, but the result looked good. Master Wang had actually suffered a setback. Hahaha, why was he so happy?

Wuwuwu, why can’t I laugh?

My fucking mouth is still sealed! Wang, get back here!

"Sir, I would like to immediately conduct a full examination and evaluation of Captain Rogers."

"Also, Agent Coulson has arrived. He hopes Captain Rogers can sign the shield in his collection. And Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff… Sir?"

Unable to hide her excitement, Hill looked toward Egghead, only to find that her director was standing completely still, as if petrified.

Director, this was not the time to act cool, all right? We needed to give Captain Rogers the warmth of a home and the enthusiasm of family. Otherwise, what if he really ran off to find Master Wang one day?

For some reason, I always feel like Captain Rogers is in S.H.I.E.L.D. but his heart is with Wang; with Carter in body, but Bucky in heart. With all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dirty, dark practices, could the upright and righteous Captain Rogers really adapt to them or accept them?

With the two of you like this, you’ll definitely fall out someday. Master Wang, did you already foresee that?

Director, Captain Rogers plus three Winter Soldiers are worth far more than a Sky Carrier no matter how you calculate it. Yet Master Wang did not mention it. It seemed he did not want just one Sky Carrier… Could it be that he wanted all four? Or did he want to snatch the position of S.H.I.E.L.D. director for himself?

Director, what exactly is wrong with you?

Director, say something!

Director?

Director!!!

Azeroth Laboratory.

"Wang, it seems you didn’t help Director Fury undo his acupoints?" Skye suddenly remembered something.

"Did I? I forgot. I’m getting old, and my memory isn’t so good."

Old Wang was completely unconcerned. "At most, it’ll undo itself within twenty-four hours. And don’t underestimate the S.H.I.E.L.D. Science and Technology Division. They can undo the acupoints through electroshock therapy or other methods too, though it’ll hurt a little. If S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t handle it, I know a professor named Yang who is very skilled in this area."

Egghead did not look like someone afraid of pain anyway. Whatever.

Hmph hmph, you stole my Captain America. Making you stand there and stay mute for twenty-four hours is letting you off easy. Next time won’t be so simple—at least ten times worse!

Skye pursed her lips and smiled.

Wang was really strange. Sometimes he was calculating, steady, and experienced, yet other times he had a childish streak. Why was he competing with Egghead? Clearly, he did not want Captain Rogers staying at the Laboratory.

Clearly, he only liked Sergeant Barnes!

Old Wang glared at Skye. What was this little girl thinking?

Though he was physically over fifty, after crossing over, he had lived through infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, and adolescence. Being around all those children, it was normal to have some childishness. Those close to children became childish!

As the old saying went, a childlike heart—that was the perfect description of him.

"Next is rest time."

Old Wang winked at Skye.

They had exercised for an entire day and night before Egghead dragged them into fighting minor monsters. Though he was not especially tired, rest was still necessary.

Mm, rest.

A good rest.

The capture of the five Winter Soldiers finally gave S.H.I.E.L.D. an explanation to offer the governments of every country.

Captain America’s joining gave Egghead even more confidence. Not only did it make the council and the various governments value S.H.I.E.L.D. again, preserving S.H.I.E.L.D.’s establishment, Egghead also took the opportunity to propose the Avengers Initiative. After a series of backroom deals, it passed by an overwhelming majority.

Captain America was naturally the best choice for an Avenger. Black Widow and Hawkeye were also included, while Tony Stark, who was unwilling to join, served as a consultant.

The Kree and Skrulls had not appeared again for nearly twenty years, so they were naturally not the targets of the Avengers’ revenge. Hydra was.

As were the endlessly emerging terrorist organizations.

Unlike before, the Avengers Initiative was not a private organization. It fell under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s command, with Egghead fully in charge. After a brief period of intensive training, they began carrying out missions with a one hundred percent completion rate.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to outsiders, the Super Soldier Program officially began. Tony Stark served as its chief scientist, continuing the research his father had failed to complete.

The Iron Man armor had let him experience what it felt like to be a Super Hero, but that feeling was limited by the strength of his body. He had no choice but to sacrifice most of its performance to ensure comfort, and it simply was not thrilling enough.

Excessive speed would leave him dizzy and disoriented. That was the true reason why, despite having an Arc Reactor, he could not raise his speed beyond Mach 7. Its comfort and speed were even inferior to a Quinjet’s.

If he had not drunk so much Essence Wine, he would not even have been able to withstand Mach 7.

But if he could successfully replicate Dr. Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum and inject it into himself, gaining a physique comparable to Captain America’s, he could easily raise his speed beyond Mach 10—perhaps even Mach 20—surpassing intercontinental missiles.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was not the only one restarting the Super Soldier Program.

Captain America’s appearance had sparked a worldwide craze for physical enhancement research. Forces both large and small, including the U.S. Air Force, Leviathan, and Vanguard Technologies, began or continued their research, some even setting their sights on Captain America and the Winter Soldiers.

Those were living research specimens.

Even the members of the United Nations Security Council and high-ranking United States officials began pressuring Egghead.

Captain America was S.H.I.E.L.D.’s banner, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s symbol. We won’t touch him, and we wouldn’t dare.

But you have five Winter Soldiers in your hands, don’t you? Give us one?

If not, a little blood will do!

As long as they are alive, their blood is inexhaustible. How about we get you some supplements?

While Egghead clutched them tightly and refused to let go, he also had no choice but to bring out more Resurrection Serum to shut those people up. At the same time, he ordered the research team to speed up their work and raise security standards, ensuring that not a single drop of blood leaked out.

Tony himself was suffering and enjoying it at the same time.

Sky Carriers, the Cosmic Cube, Veronica, virtual technology, the Super Soldier Program, clean energy…

Any one of those was enough to keep him busy for a while. Together, they could at least keep him behaving himself for… one or two years? Mm, probably more than that. This bastard was cursed by knowledge. No matter how smart he was, he was still constrained by humanity’s overall technological level, just like his father had been.

Day after day passed, until good news finally arrived.

"Wang, the ‘Framework’ is finished!"